State Route 79: Gila River bridge project

Overview

The Arizona Department of Transportation is completing a project to replace the State Route 79 Gila River bridge in Florence. Construction began in Feb. 2022 and completion is expected in Summer 2023.

Key elements of the new bridge will include:

• A single lane in each direction with 8 foot shoulders.
• A protected pedestrian walkway on the west side of the bridge.

Pedestrians and off-road vehicles are asked to stay away from the work zone beneath the SR 79 bridge for their own safety and the safety of the crews working on the project. Please find an alternate route to avoid equipment, material and workers.

Construction sequencing

The new bridge will be constructed using an Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) technique to minimize traffic impacts on the heavily-used SR 79 corridor. An animation of the proposed sequencing is available. 

Under this approach, the new bridge piers will be built while the existing bridge remains in use. The upper portion of the new bridge will be built in two halves, one on each side of the existing bridge. Traffic will switch to the new bridge halves, and the existing bridge will be removed. The bridge halves will then be slid into their permanent position over two weekends.

Traffic will be maintained in each direction except during the weekends the bridge slides will take place. During the sliding of each half of the bridge, SR 79 will be reduced to a single lane with a temporary signal allowing traffic to flow one direction at a time.

This technique means SR 79 will remain open to nearly all vehicles (large oversize vehicles may need to use an alternate route), however delays should be expected during the slide phases. The overall project is scheduled to take 12 to 18 months to complete.

Stay Informed

Schedules are subject to change based on weather and other unforeseen factors. Subscribe to receive project updates and traffic alerts by email. For more information, please call the ADOT Bilingual Project Information Line at 855.712.8530 or submit a question or comment by email.  For real-time highway conditions statewide, visit ADOT’s Traveler Information Site at www.az511.gov, follow ADOT on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT) or call 511, except while driving.